The JAM Yearbook

The JAM Yearbook

By The JAM YearbookMusicMusic History
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The JAM Yearbook episodes

  • Version 2011

    Tito....get me a tissue! It's 2011 and a year chock full of sentiment for Matt and Jim. With the music though? Not so much. This was the year Jim moved to Scotland and started a new adventure, but not without 8 months of playing music and finishing it all in style. One of his biggest highlights was rejoining Matt on stage again for one final show together. But fear not, they do address the music from 2011 and it was a year with some epic music. Adele became an icon, Ed Sheeran joined the A-Team, the Beastie Boys delivered one of their final finest moments, and LMFAO kept everyone shuffling.

    44 min
  • Version 1978

    The 1970s have been a complete gift for Matt and Jim. Each year has been full of classic music from an array of genres to explore and reminisce over. Amazingly, it all shared the radio at the same time. Growing up in the 70s, their entertainment was dominated by K-Tel Records and Dynamite Magazine. They may have been too young to be choosing what they were listening to all of the time, but 1978 had a huge impact on the world of music that they continued to discover through the rest of their lives. The debuts in 1978 were unlike most other years. From Van Halen to Dire Straits or The Police to The Cars, the world was about to be dominated by these new bands. So break out that old time rock and roll and freak out to some of the best music of the 70s with your JAM friends!

    42 min
  • The JAM Soundtrack Spectacular!

    It's summer and there's no better time than blockbuster season to bring you a blockbuster episode. Matt and Jim grab a seat in the back row at the local theater and sing along with all of their favorite songs from soundtracks through the years. From soundtrack driven storylines to fictional bands, they weave their way through the magic of music in movies. A good soundtrack can lift a movie to greatness and evoke sentiment and emotion. It can make a scene more relatable. The soundtrack can be an extended character of the film. So get to the concession stand and grab your favorite candy, popcorn and fountain soda. It's time to go to the movies!

    58 min
  • Version 1983
    This barely scratched the surface. Have we arrived in one of the greatest years ever? It almost feels like it. From Lionel to Ozzy or Elton to Bowie, there hasn't been a year more packed with 80s superstars. Matt and Jim try to get through it all, but it's a tall order. Alternative music builds its roots with debuts from REM and Violent Femmes. Cyndi Lauper 'bops' while the Talking Heads burn down the house. Canada jumps in with Bryan Adams, Loverboy, Night Ranger and Corey Hart. Say, say, say what you want, but 1983 is huge!
    42 min
  • Version 1992

    The early 90s are once again filled with nostalgia for Matt and Jim. The best part of 1992 may have been when they stepped back into each other's lives and wound up in a band together. These were the days of road trips and singing along. Pop and alternative music had interweaved and a lot of the commercial stuff was actually very cool. There were a lot of albums Matt and Jim enjoyed, so instead of waiting until the end of the show to reveal their additions to the playlist, they revisit those albums and pick a song as the show develops. Don't worry, there was still plenty of room for name dropping. So strap yourself into an amazing year in music that they still revisit again and again.

    45 min
  • Version 2017
    Ever stand in a room and not want to feel bad talking about anyone? That's how Matt and Jim feel looking at the music of 2017. It's a year with some challenges and they've had to look beyond their normal perceptions. Along the way they discover Paramore is multidimensional, P!NK is still ruling pop music and hip-hop rediscovers its roots. Radio killed the video star and a baby voice sample ruins music. Jump into the most challenging year Matt and Jim have faced.
    50 min
  • Version 1973
    It's 1973 and Matt and Jim are a couple of babies speaking gibberish and dancing in their diapers. Even though they were too young to live the music from this year in the moment, it has followed them throughout their lives. Names like Zeppelin, Floyd, Marley, Dead, Gaye, Skynyrd, and Wonder were dominating the music world with classics that are still on the radio today. Two piano men, Elton and Billy, emerge on the scene while other singer-songwriters like Simon and Croce were creating future classics. ABBA, Aerosmith, Hall and Oates and Queen make their debuts! So get on the midnight train to 1973 as Matt and Jim drop into a year that certainly contributed in a big way to the future of popular music.
    46 min
  • Version 1996
    It's time for some crazy nostalgia as Matt and Jim arrive this week in 1996. Did Jim ever tell you he used to be in a band? Has he ever shut up about it? Don't worry, Matt reels him in and they both have a great discussion about one of the most classic years in alternative radio. KISS returns in full makeup. The original lineup of Van Halen appears together for the first time in over a decade. Girl Power arrives as the Spice Girls become a phenomenon taking over pop radio worldwide. Jim does finally describe the effort put into making the Cinderblock Baby CD, what it was like opening a box of CDs for the first time, and apologizes to everyone who got put through it over and over again. But there were no regrets and 1996 is a year filled with some of life's best memories.
    41 min
  • Version 2013

    The year 2013 has arrived and... uh oh.... Matt and Jim get a little nervous. 6+7 equals 13 and those years were not the easiest to find happy places in music. Fortunately they get lucky with some good sounds. Daft Punk 'punks' the Grammys and indie darlings HAIM hit the mainstream. The guys discover that emo/pop/punk CAN mature and have an unexpected reaction to the Paramore album. Some cool collaborations pop up in rap along with a 90s grunge band experimenting with a different famous front man and finding surprising results. Matt and Jim make it through Version 2013 unscathed and really enjoy some of the new sounds they discover.

    50 min
  • Version 50! Our 1st Anniversary Episode!
    Welcome to the 50th episode! The show has reached its first anniversary and Matt and Jim are practically toddlers in podcasting now. It's been a rollercoaster ride as they've explored their lives and the soundtrack that has brought them here. Lessons have been learned over time and they've made a huge effort to improve the show along the way. Sometimes prejudging has backfired and as the show has gone on, they've found themselves open to music they wouldn't have imagined a year ago. As they go through the decades, Jim brings different genres while Matt serves up the cheese. Join the celebration as they look forward to the next year ahead.
    48 min

About The JAM Yearbook

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to The Jam Yearbook! This podcast started as two middle-aged guys taking a semi-deep dive into a single year of music in their lifetime. They never claim to be historians of music. They just love music. They end their episode by each sharing 5 songs that best reflects the year and build a massive playlist covering 50 years.